Barnums (The Whitehall Vaults), Station Road
Barnums (The Whitehall Vaults/Whitehall Inn), Station Road
In 1861, when Station Road stretched from Greenfield House to New Dock, Barnums was known as the Whitehall. The tenant was Thomas Jones, aged 51, a shipwright who lived with his wife Emma aged 35, Catherine Evans aged 20, a house servant and a boarder John Evans, aged 28, from Dowlais, who was a roll turner in the local ironworks, probably Old Lodge.
In later years the premises was known as the Whitehall Vaults, and was a very traditional public house catering for workmen, locals and travellers. The Whitehall Vaults also catered for the tramworkers in the early 20th century who found the premises handy because the terminus was nearby.
With the decline in industry the Whitehall Vaults fell into disrepair and its reputation was somewhat tarnished when the landlord employed a topless barmaid, followed later by striptease artists, which brought all sorts of undesirables to the area.
In 1987 the Whitehall Vaults closed and Allan Lewis purchased the property, refurbished it and re-named it Barnums after the well-known American circus impresario Phineas Taylor Barnum.
Barnums became an overnight success and was a popular fun theme public house until it burned down in October 1998 in a similar way to Barnums American Museum which was destroyed by fire in 1870.
After a £500,000 refit Barnums re-opened in November 1999 and continued to entertain its customers.
© W & B Rees & ARTdesigns 2004/2006
Page updated Wednesday May 16, 2007